Saratoga Springs restaurant hosts fundraiser at re-opening

From left, DZ Restaurants Vice President Nancy Bambera, owner David Zecchni, Stillwater Backpack program found Kiki Wagner and program coordinated Joanne Rose are shown at the re-opening of Forno Bistro in downtown Saratoga Springs.
Maureen Werther -- For The Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Forno Bistro at 541 Broadway closed its doors on Feb. 28 and immediately got to work on renovations to its kitchen, bar and main dining area, opening a mere 19 days later as a completely transformed space.

To celebrate its makeover, Forno Bistro held a combined open house for customers and a fundraiser for the Stillwater school’s “Stillwater Backpack” program.

According to DZ Restaurant’s vice president, Nancy Bambera, the company teams up with Stillwater Backpack each year during the month of March to raise awareness of and funds for the food supplement program, which was started by former Stillwater PTA president Kiki Wagner five years ago.

“In talking to teachers, the PTA wanted to know how to best benefit the school. We found out that many kids were only eating breakfast or lunch,” Wagner said. Her colleague, Joanne Rose, who coordinates the food component with the Regional Food Bank, added that the local food pantries allow parents to receive food once a month, which isn’t always sufficient to feed an entire family.

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Stillwater Backpack relies on fundraising, such as the Forno event, along with school fundraisers and private donations from individuals and businesses.

It costs $167 per year to provide a child with a backpack filled with food for the weekend. The program runs from October 1 through the middle of May. At risk children, who are identified by school psychologist Deanna Sargent, anonymously receive backbacks in their lockers, which they bring home at the end of the school week.

The yearly budget for the program is $5,000, which is why fundraising efforts like DZ’s are such an important part of the program’s success.

“We invite the public to donate $5 to the backpack program during this month when they come to the restaurant, and we have raised approximately $2,000 each year,” said Bambera. Guests arriving for Forno’s re-opening were give the opportunity to participate in the fundraising activities.

“Whenever we open a DZ restaurant, the biggest part of it are our guests. We want to thank them for their support of our restaurants,” said Bambera. But the event was also a good opportunity for Forno to make up in its fundraising efforts while it was closed during the first half of the month.

And speaking of food, throughout the reception, large platters with generous amounts of food were strategically placed around the bar. Wait staff walked through the crowd with appetizers, antipasti, meatballs and an assortment of cheeses, prosciutto and other selections that Forno and DZ restaurants have become famous for.

What began as a project to update, expand and modernize the restaurant’s kitchen quickly grew into an expansion of the formerly cramped bar area, as well as a more spacious entryway and a wide open main dining area that overlooks the outdoor patio on one side and the enlarged bar area on the other.

The construction work was done by Bonacio Construction and Charlie Hoffman, of Hoffman Architects, was the architect of record. However, Hoffman was quick to mention that the design of the space all came from owner David Zecchini.

The bar, which formerly seated about 10 to 12 guests, now seats 23. And guests no longer have to navigate the narrow entry and step down into the dining area. It is now more open and airy, combining contemporary rusticity with Zecchini’s unique flare.